CCPG Recommended Minimum Requirements of Geoscience Knowledge Requirement and Work Experience Qualifications for Professional Practice
Work Experience Qualifications
FAQ - frequently asked questions
1. Overview
To ensure protection against unskilled or unethical actions, the practice of professional geoscience is subject to provincial or territorial law in much of Canada. As in other recognized professions, the responsibility for regulation is delegated by legislative bodies to professional bodies that register qualified persons and hold disciplinary power. In 1999, eight Canadian jurisdictions (AB, BC, MB, NB, NF, NT, NU, SK) licensed professional geoscientists under common engineering and geoscience acts of their legislature, another jurisdiction (NS) was developing combined engineering and geoscience licensure, and two more (ON, QC) were working toward independent licensure or certification by title.
The Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists (CCPG) is a federally incorporated association in Canada, created in 1998. The CCPG enables the provincial and territorial associations that register professional geoscientists and those which are working towards licensure or certification in Canada, to deal with issues of collective interest. To attain some of its objectives, the CCPG has created the Canadian Geoscience Standards Board (CGSB), a standing committee whose mandate includes:
to assist constituent associations in:
coordinating, correlating, and standardizing their activities, particularly in the areas of registration of geoscientists, mobility of registered practitioners, and interprovincial practice;
developing and maintaining appropriate standards in the geoscience professions.
Members of the CGSB represent constituent associations of the CCPG. The CGSB establishes and updates national guidelines for professional registration in geoscience. These include recommendations in the areas of required knowledge and work experience, academic examination syllabi, professional practice examinations, continuing professional competence requirements, mentoring, codes of ethics, and other professional areas. The CGSB also has the mandate to assess geoscience education across Canada in order to keep constituent associations informed of the extent to which Canadian geoscience educational programs meet the recommended knowledge content for professional practice. Such assessment is a continuing process. Similarly, the CGSB has the mandate to assess foreign geoscience educational programs as part of its continuing activity.
The following recommendations of minimum requirements of knowledge and work experience for the practice of professional geoscience were prepared by the CGSB for use by registering associations in Canada. The recommendations are not binding on any constituent association of the Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists. Associations retain the right to adopt, modify or reject them, and have the legislated authority to make final decisions on all applicants for registration in their jurisdiction as applicable.
2. Purpose of Recommendations
The definition of minimum qualifications also contributes to removing significant and costly obstacles to the mobility of professionals across Canada. In many jurisdictions in Canada that regulate the practice of professional geoscience, professional engineers and professional geoscientists are registered in one association governed by a single legislative act. For professional engineers, an inter- association agreement has been developed to facilitate mobility within Canada. Similarly, for professional geoscientists, the acceptance by all constituent associations of a common minimum requirement of knowledge, experience, ethics, and other qualifications is a necessary condition for an inter-association mobility agreement. Such agreements improve labour mobility in Canada and facilitate the development of future international labour mobility agreements.
3. Knowledge Qualifications
In arriving at a minimum knowledge recommendation, the Canadian Geoscience Standards Board reviewed minimum knowledge requirements in all Canadian jurisdictions that register professional geoscientists. It also considered results of surveys and consultation carried out in jurisdictions where legislation was not yet established, such as the provinces of Ontario and Québec. In addition, the CGSB considered studies undertaken in the early 1990s by the Professional Registration Committee of the Canadian Geoscience Council, which highlighted the common features of Earth science undergraduate degree programs in Canadian universities.
The CGSB noted that, except in the Province of Québec, a university honors bachelor of science (B.Sc.) Geoscience program in Canada is of four years duration and includes 40 one-semester courses or their equivalent. In the Province of Québec, university honors B.Sc. programs are three years long, following graduation with a diploma in natural science from a CEGEP, and include 30 one-semester courses or their equivalent. In a typical four-year honors degree program, 30 courses are in science and the rest are non-science. Of the 30 courses in science, approximately 20 are required in geoscience and 10 are required in other sciences, including specified mathematics, physics, and chemistry, with additional options. This depth in geoscience and breadth in other sciences was found to be remarkably consistent across Canada.
The CGSB considers that this level of geoscience education meets the recommended minimum knowledge requirements. Because the contents of present or past geoscience university programs in Canada are not similar, because applicants for professional registration may hold degrees other than in geoscience, and because applicants may have been educated outside Canada, the CGSB recommends that no specific university program should be designated as a standard. Instead, a number of minimum knowledge requirements must be satisfied, which are outlined in Appendix 1. Additionally, the CGSB recommends that acceptable professional practice requires technical writing ability, oral communication effectiveness, and awareness of regulatory and legal issues of practice.
There is no expectation that any educational institution should adjust its teaching to conform with the recommended minimum knowledge requirements. Geoscience program requirements are subject to modification by universities. The CGSB recognizes that, although most university geoscience B.Sc. programs in Canada presently allow the specified knowledge to be acquired, some may not. To treat all applicants fairly, the CGSB recommends to constituent associations that required minimum knowledge not covered by an applicant's degree can be acquired through additional university courses. The CGSB also recommends that, as an alternative to university courses, constituent associations should offer examinations allowing an applicant to demonstrate knowledge in specific subjects.
4. Experience Qualifications
The practice of professional geoscience means the performing of any activity that requires application of the principles of the geological sciences, and that concerns the safeguarding of public welfare, life, health, property, or economic interests, including, but not limited to:
investigations, interpretations, evaluations, consultations or management aimed at discovery or development of metallic or non-metallic minerals, rocks, nuclear or fossil fuels, precious stones and water resources;
investigations, interpretations, evaluations, consultations, or management relating to geoscientific properties, conditions or processes that may affect the well-being of the general public, including those pertaining to preservation of the natural environment.
The CGSB has considered the length of the recommended period of supervised practice in all regulated parts of Canada, and recommends that a period of 48 months of supervised practice following knowledge qualification be the minimum requirement for attaining professional status. Guidelines for the assessment of experience are given in Appendix 2.
Outlines of Required Knowledge
Purpose and Definitions
These are outlines of minimum knowledge required for the practice of professional geoscience. They are recommendations to assist registering associations in assessing knowledge qualifications of geoscientist applicants from anywhere in the world. They are not a definition of the only education or of the best possible education. They are subject to revision. They are intended to be reviewed at least once every five years by the Canadian Geoscience Standards Board, unless requested earlier by a constituent association.
The fundamental unit of each outline is the educational unit (EU). One educational unit in a knowledge subject is defined as formal instruction equivalent to a one-term (one semester) course in an honors B.Sc. degree program at a Canadian university. For example, one EU could consist of approximately 3 hours of lecture or equivalent per week, with or without a lab, for thirteen weeks. An EU can be considered as the equivalent of one 3-credit hour course in a 120 credit-hour, 4-year degree program. The EU, as used here, does not address the manner in which material in each subject area is presented in university programs. Its purpose is to provide a qualitative statement about the knowledge expected, when both knowledge and experience qualifications are evaluated for professional registration purposes.
Each outline specifies 9 EUs of fundamental science and 20 EUs of geoscience and additional science. Subject areas identified in Sections I, II, III and IV (e.g., mathematics, physics, mineralogy, structural geology, etc.) represent knowledge which the CGSB considers relevant. The CGSB does not specify detailed content within individual subject areas. It leaves to the board of examiners or registration committee of constituent associations the decision as to which courses have adequate coverage to qualify as EUs. For example, the credit for an independent research project or undergraduate thesis within a formal educational program (i.e., no credit, one EU, or more than one EU) should not be arbitrary but should be based on review of the instruction received and the knowledge acquired. As a guideline, single-term or semester courses in honors B.Sc. degree programs offered in Canadian universities at present are considered by the CGSB to satisfy the standard recommended for an EU.
The CGSB recognizes that differences exist in the geoscience knowledge and skills required in areas broadly defined as geology, environmental geoscience, and geophysics. Separate recommendations have been prepared for each area. Outlines are presented in four sections. Section I applies to all geoscientists; one of either Section II or Section III or Section IV also applies. It is not within the CGSB's mandate to advise either constituent associations of the CCPG or educational institutions as to whether or how any educational institution should modify its curriculum to conform with the recommended knowledge requirements.
| CGSB Knowledge Standards |
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| Geology |
Environmental Geoscience |
Geophysics |
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| 1A |
Compulsory Foundation Science (Total 4 EUs) |
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| (1 EU in each area required) |
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| 1B |
Additional Foundation Science (Total 6 EUs) |
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| (6 EUs required, no more than 2 Additional Science EUs in any one area, except Statistics and Computer Science* where only EU may be counted)[*Geophysics only] |
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Section I:
Fundamental Science Required by all Professional Geoscientists (9 EUs required):
Specified Science (6 EUs required) courses for Science or Engineering Majors chosen from:
NOT ACCEPTABLE: Remedial high school level algebra, trigonometry, geometry or pre-calculus
§ Chemistry – Minimum 1 EU - First year (or higher) university-level Chemistry w/lab from:
i. Chemistry I: Basic chemical concepts. Stoichiometry. Gas laws. Periodic table and the chemistry of selected elements. Atomic and molecular structure. Chemical bonding.
ii. Structures of organic compounds. States of matter and phase changes. Properties.
iii. Chemistry II: Acid/base concepts. Chemical kinetics and equilibrium. Acid-base and solubility equilibria. Elementary thermodynamics. Oxidation and reduction, electrochemistry.
· And 3 more EUs from Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry or Biology - First year (or higher) university-level Science courses for Science or Engineering Majors chosen from:
Guidelines for Assessing Geoscience Work Experience
Purpose
The following guidelines for the assessment of work experience and attributes of professional practice in geoscience have been formulated by the Canadian Geoscience Standards Board. They are an expression of general principles that have a broad basis of consensus, while recognizing and supporting the autonomy of each constituent association to administer its Geoscience act. The guidelines are summary recommendations. They leave detailed applications, policies, practices and modifications to the associations.
The guidelines are intended to assist licensure officials in assessing experience qualifications of geoscientist applicants from anywhere in the world. They are not binding regulations, and are subject to revision. Along with the recommended minimum knowledge requirements, the work experience requirements should be reviewed at least every five years. The CGSB recognizes that requirements of work experience may undergo substantial evolution over the span of a geoscientist's career. This must be taken into account when assessing the work experience of professional geoscientists.
Guidelines
Associations should require that applicants for licensure demonstrate good character and reputation. The objectives include protection of the public, maintenance of high professional standards, and maintenance of public confidence in the geoscience profession.
The requirement of good character may not be satisfied, if:
the applicant obtains or attempts to obtain registration by fraudulent means. This includes using forged or fraudulent documentation, making or causing to be made false statement(s) in the application process, or cheating on assessed examinations;
the applicant has committed an act or acts inconsistent with the applicable Code of Ethics, and the applicant has not been rehabilitated or has not made adequate reparation; or
the applicant has been convicted of a criminal offence, or found to be at fault in a civil action which may be construed as impacting on the applicant's ability to practice geoscience in a professional manner.
Associations can assess good character through self-disclosure in the application form, by direct contact during the application process, and from the references. Associations should have appropriate means of ensuring the confidentiality of disclosure by applicants and references, in accordance with legislation governing freedom of information and protection of privacy.